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Kelly Garthwaite's avatar

My husband is a musician — a bass player — but he recently bought a small 64 key piano, so we’ve been tinkering around on that quite a bit. I’ll sing, and he’ll try and figure out the notes on the piano. Our dog always ends up coming in and laying down in there and just seems so calm and content to be in the presence of our music making. It’s truly a universal language across all species

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Eli Susman, PhD's avatar

Ahh I love this, Kelly. I can picture it so clearly—the music, the tinkering, your dog just melting into the calm. There’s something so tender about that kind of shared presence. It really is a language beyond words.

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Kelly Garthwaite's avatar

That’s exactly what it looks like 🥹

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Jeff Feldman, MSW, LSW's avatar

Absolutely. I discovered about 10 years the benefits of having music play in the background while at work. It's been very helpful with managing anxiety and mood while in the office.

If you're interested, here's a recent essay I wrote about the impact music has had on my life and mental/emotional well-being.

https://jefffeldman111274.substack.com/p/on-phish-mental-health-and-surrendering

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Eli Susman, PhD's avatar

Love this, Jeff. I’ve also found background music to be transformative during focused work—like it gently nudges the nervous system toward steadier ground. Grateful you shared this, and I’m excited to check out your piece!

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Soft Reset's avatar

This explains so much! I've noticed how even brief moments with the right music can completely shift my mental state. The research on music + mindfulness is fascinating - that combination really does seem to hit differently than either alone.

This actually inspired me to create focused music for concentration and meditation on my YouTube channel @SoftMindReset. Amazing how something so simple can be so powerful for our nervous system. https://www.youtube.com/@SoftMindReset

Thanks for making the neuroscience so accessible!

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Eli Susman, PhD's avatar

Love this so much. You captured it beautifully—music and mindfulness together really do feel like more than the sum of their parts. I’m so glad this resonated, and I’m excited to check out your YouTube channel. What a gift you’re offering.

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Rachna Ghiya's avatar

Eli, it's a great micropractice. I often try it while I'm doing boring work, for example, keeping track of my expenses.

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Eli Susman, PhD's avatar

Thanks so much, Rachna! I love that you’ve found a way to weave it into those more tedious moments. Appreciate you sharing what works for you!

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Eli Susman, PhD's avatar

Thanks so much, Rachna! I love that you’ve found a way to weave it into those more tedious moments. Appreciate you sharing what works for you!

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